


Life as a Buff Chocobo

by Verlerious



Series: Chocobo Life [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Baby chocobo - Freeform, Grumpy Gladio, M/M, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-06-29 16:56:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15733605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verlerious/pseuds/Verlerious
Summary: It could have been avoided, if only Iris had known that the water could cause a person to transform.  With Prompto having just turned back into a human and Gladio now a chocobo, it's just a matter of time until he finds Ms. Right.  Or is it Mr. Right?





	1. Chapter 1

Iris wouldn't have known to read the bottle when she picked it up from their cooler. Ignis wouldn't have thought they still had a bottle of the stuff still hovering around. And of course Gladio wouldn't have had the mindset to focus on reading the contents of the bottle before drinking it. So naturally he shouldn't have been surprised to be eye to bird eye with a small black chocobo that he was almost certain could be no other than Gladio.

"Guess this could explain why you haven't come downstairs yet," Ignis said frowning a bit when he looked down at the black chocobo that seemed to have fallen asleep again. He wasn't feeling well still. It was the reason why he was upstairs in the Cape Diem home. Right now, Ignis had just finished preparing a big nontraditional breakfast for Prompto who had just returned to normal from being a baby chocobo himself.

It had seemed that the plan to convince Noctis to kiss the young blond had worked to some extent that Prompto was back to normal. Well, it wasn't like he'd been given the full details of what happened, but it was the best he could come up with. And considering that his oil he'd accidently left on the nightstand had went missing…well he didn't want to know what else may have conspired.

However, Iris had mentioned when everyone had been gathering for the celebration breakfast that Gladio was missing because he wasn't feeling well, he'd taken it upon himself to check up on the prince's shield. The results? Well…

"Are you still not feeling well?" Ignis said frowning as he rubbed at his chin. Was it a side effect of the mysterious potion Gladio had drunken thanks to Iris's extra care for her big brother? "I don't know the first thing about checking a temperature for a chocobo. Though I would imagine that if it's anything like any other creature, then the thermometer would have to be stuck into the posterior to-"

"Wark!" Gladio jumped up, sitting on his rump quickly as he looked up at Ignis almost like he was glaring at him.

"Well…guess that's one way to make you move," Ignis said pushing his glasses by the middle of the frames with a finger. "Then shall we head downstairs for food? I believe we still have some greens left from when Prompto was a chocobo."

The black little chocobo didn't move, still sitting there defiantly as he glared up at him. At least, Ignis was sure that was a glare. What exactly did he have to be angry about? It wasn't like he made him drink the water.

"…Should I send Iris up to retrieve you instead? Or do you prefer that I carry you down like a child?"

"Kweh!" Gladio turned his head away before he finally moved jumping down from the bed wobbling ungracefully for a moment before he started for the door. Why he even attempted it, Ignis wasn't sure. But Gladio tried to jump up to open the door himself. And while he did jump higher than any baby chocobo Ignis had ever seen, he wasn't quite able to reach the doorknob as he stood there in defeat.

It was…dare Ignis even imagine it? Kind of cute to see this helpless side to Gladio. "Allow me to get the door." Ignis walked over opening the door for Gladio not missing how the other gave a little chirp as if saying thanks before wobbling his way out. He stopped by the door and it was hard to determine if he was worried about his ability to get down or the fact that he didn't want the others to see him. Regardless, he had to go downstairs sometime…and the others were bound to find out he was a chocobo at some point.

"Everything alright, Ignis?" It was Noctis who spoke, looking up at him worriedly, his eyes glancing around before he frowned. "Gladio still not feeling ok?"

"Well…about that…." Ignis didn't really get a chance to finish as Gladio chirped out jumping down the steps like the tough guy that he was, even though he looked like he was breathing hard by the time he got to the bottom.

"Whoa, a chocobo!" Prompto yelled out jumping up quickly before he blinked staring at the black chocobo. "Wait…he looks kinda familiar."

"Gladdy?" Iris had stood up, her arm held over her chest nervously as she crept closer. "Is that you?"

"Oh, you're right!" Prompto chirped out moving closer as well, his eyes growing wide. "Wait…did he really drink…." Well…the cat…or well…the chocobo was out of the bag now. Might as well make the most of it.

Sighing, Ignis went down the steps the rest of the way resting a hand on his hip as he looked down at Gladio who was pointedly squashing his body down like an angry little bird, his eyes narrowed down in annoyance. "It appears that the water Iris thought she might have given him was in fact…another of the bottles we found recently. I fault myself for forgetting to remove it from the cooler before this all could repeat itself."

"Oh wow, so it really is Gladio!" Prompto laughed rushing over and picking the black chocobo up before he could squawk in complaint. "Oh wow he's so soft and squishy!" Prompto laughed holding him up despite Gladio's many squawks for what could only mean 'put me down.'

"He's so cute!" Iris squealed out pulling Gladio from Prompto's hands and hugging him close.

"Noct, we're definitely turning you into a cute chocobo next," Prompto said his eyes seeming to gleam with intent as Noctis made a face backing away slowly.

"Uh…no thanks," the prince said.

"We are most definitely not turning his highness into a chocobo," Ignis said with finale before looking over at Gladio with a sigh. "We must find a way to return Gladio to normal. For one, Noctis cannot be without his shield and protector. And I for one definitely do not wish to lug him around."

"It sounds like you're more upset about the carrying him part than the protector part," Noctis said suspiciously.

"Well he is kind of heavy," Iris said finally putting Gladio down. "I guess it's all those chocobo muscles."

"Or chocobo fat," Prompto said. "Because a chocobo chick is definitely not going to have muscles." Prompto kneeled down petting the top of Gladio's head. "Isn't that right, boy?"

"Wark!" Gladio snapped at Prompto biting his finger and making the blond yelp and pull his hand back nursing it.

"Gladio!" Ignis admonished glaring down at him. "No biting."

"Maybe we should get him a muzzle," Noctis said in perfect seriousness even though he had a definite smirk on his face.

"Oh, I wanna get him a collar that says Gladdy on it!"

"I must say this is quite…amusing," Monica chimed in coming over to stand beside Iris. "Perhaps I could help you with making one?"

"Really?!" Iris's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I wanna help too!" Talcott yelled out jumping up as well. Gladio chirped angrily at the suggestions squawking up a storm. It was starting to make Ignis feel bad for the little guy.

"Alright, I think we've had enough fun for one day," Ignis said breaking up the conversation as he spoke loudly. "We should all be taking this very seriously. After all it is not normal for a person to just suddenly become a chocobo. We should be taking Gladio's feelings into consideration."

"Kweh." Gladio nodded his head in agreement to the words closing his eyes confidently.

"….So with that being said, I will handle making a leash for him."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ok…maybe that last part was going too far. It seemed the last straw for Gladio anyway as he took off running as soon as Dustin had opened the door to join them for breakfast.

"Perhaps I have taken the joke too far," Ignis said frowning before he looked around the room. "I shall go find out feathered friend. Please continue your meals." He left from the small house closing the door behind him to escape from the awkward silence that followed. Gladio was mad. He was pretty sure of it. He shouldn't have teased him. After all, it couldn't be easy to find oneself changed into a feathered beast so suddenly and unexpectedly.

He was surprised he found Gladio so easily, the other standing by the lighthouse doors and staring up at it as if he contemplated how he could reach the top of the lighthouse. He didn't seem to notice Ignis at first, chirping in surprise upon seeing him before his brown eyes narrowed and he turned around giving Ignis the cold shoulder.

Sighing, Ignis moved slowly walking over towards him hoping he wouldn't run away again and being glad when he didn't as he sank down to sit beside him. "…I'm sorry." Ignis looked down at the other's back frowning a bit and starting to reach out to touch him before he hesitated letting his hand drop down into his lap as he sat cross-legged. "I should have considered your feelings on the matter before picking on you. As an advisor, I'm ashamed of my actions and in how I have treated you during your time of turmoil."

Gladio didn't respond to him, his feathers still appearing fizzled as he kept his body hunkered down.

"…I shouldn't have said what I said and I'm sorry for that. But you have to admit that it's hard to react normally when you look so…." He frowned looking for the right words. "Fluffy."

"Kweh?" Gladio looked over his shoulder at him with annoyance and maybe just a bit of curiosity.

"Well…I would mean that normally you're seen as a really strong, tough guy. To some, you're almost unapproachable." He shook his head. "Not to me, though. I can see the soft gentle side underneath your tough guy exterior. But it's still really rare to get to see you like this." He reached down gently rubbing a finger over his back. "So soft and gentle and almost vulnerable. It makes it feel like we're the ones protecting you for once. And to be honestly, it's not a bad feeling to be doing the reverse for once."

Ignis smiled softly to himself. "I'm not good with words, not with this kind of situation I mean. But I get the feeling you know what I'm trying to get at, right?"

"Chirp?"

"I don't know what that means, but sure. Whatever you're saying is probably accurate. After all, you are in no way a dumb a man. Quite the opposite actually." Ignis chuckled to himself. "Now then…it may not be up to par, but I could make you some of the greens that I made for Prompto once. At least with some food in your stomach we can try to figure out what we need to do to change you back. After all, if Prompto changed back then there's definitely a way for you to become human again too."

"Wark!" Gladio nodded his head jumping rather clumsily into Ignis's lap.

"I take this to mean you want me to carry you?" Gladio chirped shaking his head before he pushed his head underneath Ignis's hand.

"Oh…pets huh? I…guess I can entertain the idea for now," Ignis said softly petting his head. "However, don't expect that I'll be spoiling you with this. The last thing we need is for you to become so pampered you become lazy like the prince." In fact, he was already planning on what he'd do to keep Gladio in shape, including a training regiment, a diet, and plenty of exercise. But he'd let him have this moment. At least it helped to calm him down. And to be honest, his feathers did feel pretty nice.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So Prompto…how did you manage to turn back to normal?" Prompto spit out the soda he was drinking, his eyes wide in surprise as he wiped his mouth glad they were outside at the moment. Did Ignis really have to make it a habit of sneaking up on him like this? And what's worse was the question he asked. Did he really have to answer it?

"I-I-I um….t-t-that's…w-w-w-why do you want to know suddenly?" He was alone, thank the astrals. He was supposed to be getting some shots of the wildlife while Noctis was working with Iris to get a collar for Gladio. Ignis was standing beside him looking at him seriously as if he hadn't just about gave Prompto a heart attack with that random question.

"I have to figure out a way to turn Gladio back to normal. With you being normal again yourself, I wanted to confirm if my suspicions of the kiss were correct. That alone would make this problem be solved faster than lightning."

"I-It….I…I-I-I wouldn't say it was the kiss that did it," Prompto said blushing red.

Ignis stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened as his hands went up covering over his mouth. "Oh my, you mean to say that the prince did that while you were still-"

"Nononono! Absolutely not!" Prompto said shaking his head quickly and making a face. "T-There's no way we would have done it while I was still a chocobo!"

"….So you guys did do it then. So that would explain where my oil-"

"C-Can we not talk about this right now?!" Prompto yelled out turning bright red knowing it was reaching up to his ears and the back of his neck now. "W-We did do…that…b-b-but not while I was a bird." He shook his head giving a breath of air. "I…I-I-I turned back. It was…well…it was while Noctis was confessing to me. My body got all warm…and…suddenly I was normal and…t-t-then we…d-d-did it from there."

"…That was it?"

Prompto blinked, his cheeks still flushed but he nodded his head. "Yeah. He confessed, I returned to normal…and i-it went from there." He saw Ignis's eyes glaze over as he brushed his thumb over his lip in thought. It was his thinking look for when he was coming up with an idea or a plan. While normally that was good…he wasn't so sure how this would turn out in this case. "But that doesn't mean you should just find some random person to confess to Gladio. A-At least, I don't think it would just work like that."

"True," Ignis said biting his thumb slightly, his eyebrow twisting down in thought. "Gladio is a lady's man. He's seen who knows how many women…granted who knows how far things have really gone with said women. Suffice to say, pointing out just one of those women to be the right one for him can't be an easy task."

"You'd be here all day if you went up to each woman." Prompto sighed turning to lean his back against a tree. "So…what's the plan? Should we head into each city and talk to women and see which one matches up with him?"

"The easiest option would be to ask him," Ignis said rubbing at his chin looking out towards the ocean. "Maybe find out who he has a fancy in."

"Kweh."

"Yeah, I agree that would be…" Prompto looked at Ignis seeing the other blink at him in confusion before they both looked down seeing the black chocobo standing between them looking up at them expectantly.

"G-Gladio? W-Why what b-b-b-brings you here so suddenly?" Prompto stuttered out laughing suddenly. Was the shield trying to give him a heart attack?

"I'll admit I didn't hear you come up as well," Ignis said pushing his glasses up nervously. Was he not wanting Gladio to know about what he was doing yet? "Have you been here a long time?"

Gladio chirped appearing like he was shrugging his shoulders as he kept looking up at them.

"Well…since there's no changing what you may or may not have heard," Ignis said kneeling down in front of him. "Can you give us an idea of who might be a person that could help you change back? Like a soul mate or…someone that could confess to you."

"Kweh."

"Is that a yes?"

"Kweh."

"…Can we please get a chocobo translator for the bird?" Prompto pleaded.

"Being that you were a chocobo yourself, I was hoping you'd know," Ignis said giving a sigh with a small shake of his head. Prompto nodded his head slowly. He would have thought he could too. After all, he'd understood for some reason all the chocobos at the chocobo farm. Granted it was mostly sounds translating to one word such as, food, hungry, mama, and food. Ok, so food was brought up a lot as a chocobo, especially as a baby chocobo. And looking down at Gladio with his big brown eyes and dark, black feather, he could say that just for this moment, this was the cutest Gladio has ever and will ever be.

"Can we dress him up?" Prompto asked out of the blue.

"Excuse me?" Ignis responded blinking his eyes in confusion.

"Wark?!"

"I mean he's so tiny and cute like a little pet bird! We can just give him a little black vest at least! It wouldn't be any different than what he normally wears…I mean…minus the pants."

"Kweh." Gladio nodded his head like he agreed with that idea.

Ignis frowned pushing his glasses up. "He's no different now than he normally is. I mean…minus the pants."

"Hmm…" Prompto looked down at Gladio frowning. "I guess that's true." His frowned turned upside down as he grinned kneeling down and patting the top of Gladio's head. "I guess you'll just stay naked then big guy…I mean little guy."

"Kweh!" Gladio snapped at him trying to biting his finger but luckily he pulled his hand back fast enough with a yelp.

"I suggest that we head to Lestallum first," Ignis said turning around to face them as he leaned his back against the railing. "My guess would be that, with all the women Gladio's flirted with in the past few times we've been there, one of the ladies there may just be the lucky one for him."

"If you say so," Prompto said sticking his tongue out at Gladio before glancing up at Ignis thinking that just for a moment Ignis looked a bit frustrated at the words. But Prompto couldn't really blame him, after all Gladio could get annoying when he was off flirting with the ladies like he was the manliest man of all man that women couldn't resist. "I'll go let Noct know what we're doing."

"Alright," Ignis said standing up straight. "And please try to contain yourselves…I'd like to leave in the next ten minutes if possible."

Prompto was in the middle of turning away and almost fell over at the words. "W-W-We're not going to do that! I-I-I can keep my hormones under control!"

"I meant with King's Knight but…that as well," Ignis said clearing his throat. Prompto blushed up to his ears as he turned heading off quickly and ignoring the chirping from Gladio that sounded suspiciously like a birdy laugh.

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

"Kweh."

"Are you sure this time?" Noctis said sounding a bit aggravated as he looked down at Gladio, the black baby chocobo staring up at him.

"Kweh."

"This is the last time we're doing this, ok? I'm starting to get a lot of weird looks here." Within an hour of coming to Lestallum, they'd spoken to at least five women that Gladio supposedly appointed with a simple chirp as someone that might be his special someone. The plan was a simple, yet embarrassing one involving Noctis carrying the Gladibo around and pretending to bump into the women. As the plan normally played out, Noctis would apologize to the women and Gladio would chirp out noisily to make the women notice him.

And of course they cooed over him and his cute form before giving a gentle kiss to his forehead and telling Noctis he needed to be more careful. While Gladio did seem to enjoy all the attention, it left Noctis with receiving apprehensive looks from the women. With how many times he'd done this already, he was sure people were going to notice his weird habit of running into women soon. Last thing he wanted was to be called a pervert.

Why didn't he just let Prompto do this? He had a feeling that if the blond bumped into a bunch of women, they'd likely be easier to forgive him because of how cute he was. But then again he'd rather not have girls getting all close up on his…boyfriend. He blushed thinking about it. They were boyfriends now, right? Well technically, Prompto's always been a boy…and he's always been a friend. But as far as the romantic side went, he never in his wildest dreams imagined that Prompto would return his feelings. He was reminded of how Ignis had tried back in Hammerhead to make Noctis confess his feelings to Prompto. Perhaps if he had done it then, Prompto could have turned back to normal faster.

Because while everything seemed to be back to normal now, Prompto did still have some lingering effects from being a chocobo baby. Sometimes he'd tilt his head to the side cutely while listening to him, or he'd reach up rubbing his neck where the collar used to be…or that thing he did when he just randomly cooed out cutely. Ok, so they were really cute actions and Noctis didn't really regret any of it. It just made him want to hug Prompto to him and snuggling him to death. Ugh, did being a baby chocobo only make his cuteness stand out more?

"Kweh."

"I know I know," Noctis said giving a sigh. "I'm going." He started walking towards their latest target, a cute looking brunet that was standing with a group of her friends. He was already starting to regret the decision to follow through with it. Why did Gladio have so many prospective women to choose from? Why couldn't this be easy? At least with Prompto there was one, maybe two options to choose from. "Here goes nothing."

He moved forward preparing to 'accidently' bump into the girl when his body stopped sooner than expected. When he stepped back, his eyes went wide seeing Holly standing there, the tech folding her arms over her chest looking at him inquisitively.

"Whoa there. I'd heard the rumors of a cute, young man running into women around the city but never expected in my wildest dreams that it'd be the prince."

"It's…not what you think," Noctis said blushing slightly as he looked at her. She was super good friends with Cindy and sometimes Noctis wondered if there was more going on than that. But it wasn't his business to pry.

"Kweh!"

Holly looked down seeing the Gladibo before her eyes widened as she bent down to be at eye level with him. "Well would ya look at that. Aren't you a cute little fellow?" She laughed reaching out rubbing the top of Gladio's head despite his chirping protest. "Cindy told me the prince was lugging around a cute little chocobo. But I thought she said his feathers were yellow."

"That was Pro…uh, a different one. This here is…..Gla…dobo…." Noctis glanced off to the side at the lie. "We just found him recently. Prompto's completely attached to the guy. I'm just taking him out for a walk."

"Strange kind of walk you're doing if you're carrying him around everywhere."

"He gets tired easily," Noctis said wincing slightly when Gladio nipped at him. The little asshole. "And lazy. We're actually heading back to the hotel right now."

"Hmm…." Holly rubbed at her chin a moment before she smiled up at him nodding standing back up. "Alright. Just be careful and keep an eye on the little fellow. I've heard rumors of some saberclaws being spotted in the area and being a terrorizing menace. Last thing you want is for your little friend to get eaten up."

Noctis frowned slightly tugging Gladio closer protectively. "I'll keep that in mind." It was strange to see him being the one having to protect Gladio. But it was kind of…rewarding in a way. He wanted to show Gladio that he could be relied on, that it didn't always have to go one way. They were a team, they could handle things together. He knew that for a fact. "Thanks for the info."

"Any time, prince," Holly said before she started to grin. "Now quit flirting with all the ladies in the city and get on back. You're becoming as bad as your big friend with the scars."

Noctis felt his eyes widen at the words as he flushed red. "I-I wasn't-" he cleared his throat forcing himself to calm down. "S-See ya." He took off towards the hotel vowing he'd never do something like this again trying to ignore the constant chirps from Gladio that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So there is a saberclaw problem in the city you say," Ignis said, his back resting against the room wall as he sipped on his can of Ebony. He looked over at Noctis sitting on the bed watching the prince nod in response. Gladio had already claimed the other bed for his tiny body, curled up on a pillow that Ignis definitely refused to claim as his own. He was currently napping unable to avoid the dreaded nap time that infant creatures sometimes succumbed to.

"I heard the same thing," Prompto said from his spot beside Noctis, tilting his head slightly in that cute way that made Ignis want to reach out and pet him. "There were a group of guys talking about it in the city." He frowned slightly. "I didn't get much out of them though. They were more interested in my camera and clothes for some reason."

Noctis frowned looking over at Prompto. "Why were they talking about your clothes?"

"I dunno. They just kept tugging on them and saying stuff about how nice it would be to use my camera to take some nice shots of my clothes on the floor and-"

"Let's get back on track, shall we?" Ignis said quickly to cut off what came close to being an outburst on Noctis's part. "If there's a saberclaw issue in the city, then I feel it only right for us to help by taking care of it. The last thing we need is for someone to get hurt thanks to these creatures." Ignis looked over at Prompto. "Also, I think it'd be best for you to walk with someone when you're out and about in the city."

"I'm not letting him out of my sight," Noctis said nodding his head missing the blush on Prompto's face from his words.

"That sounds like the best course of action," Ignis said before looking over at Gladio seeing his head pop up. "Gladio, I'll leave you some greens and water here by the door. The three of us need to step out and take care of a beast problem in the city."

"Wark!" Gladio jumped up chirping in protest, though to what he was protesting Ignis couldn't tell.

"Now now. It won't be long. These are merely saberclaws and pose no real threat to our skill level."

"Besides," Prompto said standing up and flopping on the bed by Gladio making the chocobo bounce in the air slightly. "We don't want you getting eaten up by some predator. I mean, you are really tiny after all."

"I agree," Noctis said frowning at Prompto. "We don't want either of you being taken by some predator. I think the two of you should stay here and let Ignis and I handle it."

Prompto stared at him for a moment before his eyes grew wide. "W-What! Why do I have to stay?"

"It perhaps would be for the best." Ignis said before his eyes lit up with a thought. "Since the two of you have the scent of a chocobo, it'd most definitely aggravate the beast more and make them harder to take down."

"….I have the scent of a chocobo?" Prompto said frowning and sniffing himself. "Does this mean I stink?"

"No! Not at all! You smell amazing!" Noctis blurted out blushing red at his words. "But beast can still smell the underlying smells. I'm sure there must be something lingering behind from you being a chocobo. It's better that we not take chances."

"Yes…listen to Noct even if he's not usually so informative."

"Hey!"

Prompto blushed but a sigh slipped from his lips as he looked down at Gladio. "Well, guess it's just me and you, big guy…I mean little guy." He reached down to pet Gladio, the frustrated chocobo nipping his finger in response. "Ouch! No biting! Bad Gladio!"

"I think he still needs that muzzle," Noctis said smirking.

"And that leash," Ignis said sipping more of the Ebony. "But setting that aside for now, let's wait till nightfall before we begin our search. That seems the most likely time for the saberclaws to appear."

"Sounds good," Noctis said nodding his head. "Hope there's not a whole bunch of them."

"I'm sure his highness can handle a mangy looking mutt," Ignis said chuckling and looking down at Gladio seeing the other watching him. He lifted a brow curiously sipping more of the Ebony. Was it possible that Gladio could find his special someone? He wasn't so sure, not with how many women Gladio had been with. And as observant as Ignis was with all other things, Gladio's love life was still a mystery to him.

"Stay safe, you two," Ignis said looking at Gladio before looking up at Prompto. "I'm relying on you to take good care of Gladio."

"Yes sir!" Prompto said saluting before he started grinning. "I'll take good care of the baby! Ow!" He jumped when Gladio pecked his side giving him the evil eye. Ignis had to hide his smirk before he looked over at Noctis. "Let's head down. We can get some shopping done while we're out."

"Sure thing," Noctis stood to join him glancing back at Prompto briefly before his cheeks reddened a bit as he followed Ignis out. Night was right around the corner but that didn't mean they couldn't take a quick trip around the marketplace before things started to close down for the night. "As long as I get to pick something I want."

"We'll see, Noct, we'll see."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Night fell upon them hours ago and neither Noctis nor Ignis had made it back yet. Prompto stood by at the window staring out biting his lips nervously as he fidgeted around restlessly looking out hoping to see them walking up any time now. "You think they're ok out there?"

He looked back at Gladio seeing the small chocobo pop open an eye giving out a small chirp. While Prompto couldn't understand the small chirp, he had a feeling that it meant yes. Either way, it didn't give him any more comfort than it did before as he returned to staring out the window.

"What if they're hurt out there? Maybe they need our help." Well…maybe his help. It wasn't like Gladio was fit for battle right at this moment. It was the main reason why he'd been left behind, aside from the whole you've been a chocobo before so you probably smell like one. He doubted that was really the case and had a feeling that maybe it had to do with the fact that they really just wanted him to keep an eye on Gladio.

"Kweh."

"I really don't understand you, buddy." Prompto sighed looking out the window again. "It'd be great if we could figure out your special someone so you can be human again." He tilted his head slightly unable to break the habit. "Or as human as a giant behemoth can be anyway."

"Wark!"

"What? I'm just saying. Chill out, dude." Prompto laughed looking back at the indignant look on Gladio's face. At least this time he wasn't the one being picked on. He was about to say something else when the sound of a growl drew his attention back to the window. He saw a saberclaw walk out from the alleyway, its nose lifted up to the air sniffing around as if searching for something.

A lone howl slipped from its muzzle as it tilted its head back. At the sound, more saberclaws came rushing from the alleyway running past it and heading straight for the Leville Hotel. The sight made Prompto back away from the window slowly going into a panic. "Oooh crap!"

"Kweh?" Gladio sat up on the bed walking towards him but Prompto's brain was going into overdrive.

Prompto took off bolting towards the door. "Whatever happens, don't come out!" The door slammed behind him but he didn't notice that it didn't actually latch in place swinging open just a little to let light in from the outside hall. He was on a mission to kill some saberclaws, holding his hand up to summon his handgun, not feeling confident enough to use one of his bigger weapons inside the hotel.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Hey specs?"

"Yes, Noct?" Ignis looked over at Noctis as the two of them finished off killing the last two of the saberclaws by the power plant.

"What do you think are the chances that we'll find out who Gladio's special someone is?" Noctis looked over at him, his hand lifting up as he let the sword disappear.

"Hmm…" Ignis looked over at him frowning as he folded his arms over his chest looking down towards the ground. "To be honest…I don't really know much about Gladio's preferences in the opposite sex." In all honestly, he didn't know much about the people Gladio liked as far as on a romantic note. He himself couldn't say he was all that close to any, spending his time and dedication to protecting the prince. As far as he was concerned, he'd always seen Gladio dating woman after woman, especially during their high school years.

He could remember walking down the hallway carrying his book and catching sight of Gladio sweet talking a girl against the lockers, or out in the courtyard. But since it had nothing to do with him, he'd just shrug his shoulders and walk away. It wasn't any of his concerns who Gladio dated, even if he didn't agree with the majority of the women that caught Gladio's eye.

"You think he might have someone on his cellphone?" Ignis blinked at Noctis's words looking up towards him. It was an idea, one that completely slipped his mind. Gladio did have a habit of checking his cellphone, though most times he'd assumed it was because he was checking up on Iris. But maybe she wasn't the only one he was keeping in contact with.

"You might just be onto something, Noct," Ignis said giving a short nod of his head. "Right…let's head back to the hotel and see if it's possible that he might have a close contact on his phone that may be the person we're looking for."

Noctis nodded his head and turned off leading the way as Ignis followed close behind him. It seemed like an ingenious plan. If Gladio did have someone special to him, he'd keep them in his phone, right? Maybe he even had them in a favorite's slot even with a special name? He could only hope that was the case.

They just passed the gas station heading for the alley leading back to the hotel when Noctis slowed to a stop. "More?"

"They look like they're heading to a particular place." Ignis said stopping beside him.

"I wonder where they're-"

The sound of gunshots cut Noctis off as his eyes widened. "Prompto!"

"Let's move quickly, Noct!" Ignis yelled out rushing off with the prince as he summoned his daggers heading for the massive group of saberclaws trying to clamber their way into the hotel. Worried etched itself into the corner of his brain but he didn't relent, giving no pause as he worked his way through the saberclaws hearing the gun go off again before he caught a flash of the familiar blond hair of the young man standing on the bar table. "Prompto?"

"Prompto!"

"Guys?" His attention left from the onslaught of the saberclaws and he missed when a saberclaw broke free from the group jumping towards him. Noctis was fast, jumping up and using the saberclaws as stepping stones before he warped the rest of the way to the top of the bar pulling his sword free and swinging it literally flinging the saberclaw away into a nearby wall. He stood protectively in front of Prompto while swinging away at the saberclaws. "Prompto! You ok?"

"I-I'm fine," Prompto stuttered out before he regained his focus starting to shoot down more of the saberclaws. "Where the hell they all coming from?!"

"I wish I knew," Ignis said starting to make his way towards them before he saw some etching their way up the steps. "Take care of things down there!" He darted off before Noctis could respond rushing up the steps after the saberclaws. They headed down the hall, Ignis's eyes growing wide when he saw them push the door open to their room heading inside. "Gladio!"

He took off rushing towards the room busting through behind the saberclaws. Quite a few were already in the room, a bundle of feathers on the bed. Two of the beasts grabbed the sheets playing a mini game of tug a war as they fought for control of the sheets. Gladio was nowhere in sight.

Ignis didn't know what came over him in that instance. Maybe blind rage, hot anger boiling in his blood. Or maybe it was just a calm storm brewing and preparing for massive destruction. Either way, he didn't get to act on it, not when Noctis rushed past starting to take care of the saberclaws while Prompto tugged on his arm insistently.

He looked down at one of the dead saberclaws, dropping down to his knees beside it before he gripped the dagger tight lifting it up about to bring it down into the dead creature's eye.

"Wark."

The sound. He thought it was just his hearing as his motion stopped instantly. He looked towards the bed, eyes wide as he felt like his body was being released from the tension as he saw the brown eyes peeking out at him from under the bed. As the black chocobo came out from under the bed, Ignis reacted instinctively, reaching out and picking Gladio up holding him close.

The scent was familiar to him as he held Gladio close burying his face in his feathers. It reminded him of a time back in high school, maybe even before that. Before he'd been trained by the other how to fight. He'd been bullied, beaten up by the taller, older boys in school. At the time, he was used to it. It seemed a normal occurrence until the day Gladio intervened chasing the bullies off.

The slightly older boy had walked over to him asking him if he was ok. All Ignis could do at the time was nod. Things at that age could still easily surprise him and he didn't expect Gladio to pull him into a comforting hug mumbling only that if he wanted to cry, he should cry. That it did no good for the body to hold it in. He had a feeling Gladio's unique smell that seemed to have a soothing, calming effect on him contributed to what happened next. It was because of the warmth of the other's body and the way his chest gave a low rumble when he spoke that made the canal break loose.

Either way, he couldn't hold back tears then. And he definitely couldn't hold them back now with the thought that he'd come so close to losing Gladio in such an unexpectedly quick instance. He didn't say anything when the black chocobo chirped; just savoring Gladio's scent and the comfort the feel of his heartbeat gave. This was far too close a call. There was no way he could let Gladio out of his sight again. He wasn't going to let anything like this happen ever again.

TBC….


	3. Chapter 3

"Kweh!"

"No, you're not getting down. You're staying put right here, understood?"

Noctis never thought he'd see the day where Ignis would end up using a sling for carrying babies. Well it wasn't a baby in the human since, just a tiny black chocobo that just so happened to be his shield. After the close call thanks to the saberclaws, Ignis refused to let Gladio out of his sight. It didn't matter if Gladio was eating, sleeping, or pooping, Ignis was right there with a protective eye for the small chocobo despite Gladio's insistent chirps of protest.

"Wark! Kweh!"

"I don't care if you can walk and do have two feet. You're not getting down. Period."

It was scary how much it seemed like Ignis might actually be starting to understand what Gladio was saying. They'd been like this for days now but this was the first time Ignis had pulled the sling out to use it. Right now they were taking a break in an inn at one of the outposts heading for Galdin Quay hoping for a better chance at finding Ms. Right.

Noctis glanced over at Prompto on the bed watching the other hard at work on trying to repair Gladio's phone that had been destroyed more or less during the saberclaw attack. He'd been quiet since the attack refusing to say what it was that was on his mind. Noctis had an inkling to what it was, knowing that the other had to be feeling guilty about Gladio almost becoming bird food. No one faulted him though. The doors weren't in the greatest of condition at the Leville and there were several times that Noctis thought he'd closed the door all the way only for the wind to push it back open.

Noctis gave a sigh as he looked over at Ignis folding his arms over his chest. "You do realize I'm not going anywhere with you wearing that thing, right?"

"It is perfectly normal to keep delicate things close by with a sling."

"Yeah…those delicate things being babies."

"…This is a baby."

"HUMAN babies," Noctis said groaning before he shook his head. "Look…I understand your worry. All of us were relieved to find Gladio alive and well. But pampering him is just going to smother him."

"Kweh."

"It is not called smothering him," Ignis said reaching up to push his glasses up, light gleaming off them making his eyes unseen. "This is a form of nursing."

"…I'm not even going to go into that," Noctis said frowning. "Just…at least let him walk around before his legs become completely useless."

"Kweh."

"You stay out of this, Gladio. This has nothing to do with you." Even though it had everything to do with him. Gladio flattened himself in his sling, eyes partly closed as he gave off a frumpy face.

"Wark."

"See? Even Gladio's having a fit about it. I'd rather he have a collar and leash than that thing."

"Kweh."

"He even agrees with me on that…I think…." Or at least he seemed like he did since he did nod his head a bit. Anything to be able to walk on his own two feet, it seemed. "I'll carry him down to the shop and buy one for him. It's not like it's my first time carrying him around." Granted last time involved running into a bunch of women. He'd rather not think about that again though.

Ignis tilted his head down staring at Noctis, a frown on his lips. He looked like he was in a heavy debate with himself, his arms instinctively tugging Gladio closer before he finally gave out a little sigh. "Fine. But straight to the shop and back. Got it?"

"Got it."

"And if any trouble arises, return here ASAP."

"Yup."

"I mean it, Noct. Don't go wandering off anywhere. Keep an eye on your surroundings at all times."

"Yes, Mama Iggy," Noctis said grinning when he saw the tint of red in Ignis's cheeks. "I'll make sure not to talk to strangers too."

"…Good." He seemed reluctant as he passed Gladio over to him, the frown still tight on his lips. "Well then…I supposed I can work on us some lunch while you two are out."

"Lunch sounds good," Noctis said holding Gladio close receiving a small chirp in response.

"Right then. On your way, now. The sooner you leave, the sooner you return." Ignis turned away heading to the kitchen area before Noctis could even respond. He couldn't help staring at his advisor and oldest friend's back seeing the tenseness in his shoulders. He could understand Ignis's worry. Gladio was and always had been a close friend to them all. He was strong, the tough guy, the one everyone could rely on.

But right now in this state, he was completely vulnerable. He couldn't defend himself no matter how much he probably really wanted to. Like Prompto had been, he was literally in the body of a child…or well a baby chocobo anyway. While he was a little tougher and had a little more muscle on him, he was still in a state where he had to be protected.

That wasn't the only thing that contributed to Ignis's worries. The saberclaws were still on the attack. It wasn't all the time and every day, but it was like they could easily pick up on where Gladio was, coming in waves on a spell to attack even into the cities at night. It usually resulted in Prompto and Noctis going out at night to patrol and attack any saberclaws seen while Ignis stayed inside with a protective eye on Gladio, most times locking him up in the bathroom. They hadn't seen any attacks in a couple of days but Noctis was almost certain they were coming tonight. It was almost like he could sense it.

He leaned down sniffing at Gladio wondering what it was that the beasts could smell that they couldn't.

"Wark!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Noctis blurted out between his laughter. "Fine, let's get going before it gets late."

"Kweh."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ignis glanced at the door as it closed behind them, his thoughts moving a mile a minute as he worked effortlessly on chopping up some vegetables that were going to be part of a side dish he was making. His mind right now was split into three different directions. One wanted to protect Gladio no matter what to avoid the risk of him being attacked by the saber claws. The other was focused on cooking lunch which partly consisted of stuff Noctis wasn't fond of. The last was on the blond sitting on the bed working nonstop on the cellphone doing his best to fix it.

While the phone was still in one piece surprisingly, it seemed determined that it would not cut on for them, power source or not connected. Prompto had tried using different batteries from the other phones with no results. It left Prompto with the only option of popping it open and working on repairs doing what he could with the lack of equipment to use.

He'd been rather quiet since the attack on Leville Hotel, barely holding up a conversation even with Noctis. It was the quietest Ignis had ever seen him. In fact, he was trying to remember the last time he'd even heard a quiet Prompto…besides sleeping. Dark puffs sat noticeable beneath his eyes from the lack of sleep he'd been getting. And it wasn't just because of the nightly patrols.

"Everything ok over there, Prompto?"

"Hm?" The blond looked up briefly before looking back down at the phone. "Ah…yeah. Everything's good. Just…trying to figure this thing out, that's all."

Ignis nodded glancing at the meal and letting it simmer before he walked over to join him sitting on the bed opposite of him. "…Are you still thinking about what happened?"

Prompto kept looking at the phone tinkering with it. He didn't look like he was about to answer and Ignis was just about to get up to check on the food when he heard Prompto speak. "….It's…kind of hard not to."

"…You realize no one's blaming you, right?"

"Doesn't change the fact that it's my fault." Prompto sighed closing his eyes as he tilted his head back, his hands resting on the bed as the tools in his hands threatened to slip free of his loosened grip. "Had I slowed down and made sure the door was closed…none of this would have happened." He opened his eyes again looking down at the phone before starting to work again. "The phone wouldn't be broken, Gladio wouldn't have come close to being saberclaw food, and you wouldn't be worrying so much."

"And yet had you not left it cracked, we wouldn't have known that the saberclaws main target was Gladio. We would have, by now, let our guard down and then….." He frowned not wanting to think about it.

"But we might have found Gladio's closest contacts on his phone by now."

"Gladio keeps his phone password protected…I doubt we would have easily gotten in even with it working." Ignis smiled at him before he stood up going into the kitchen checking on the food. "I'm sure if Gladio could talk, he'd be saying to stop worrying about him so much."

"I guess he would," Prompto said sounding as though it put a smile on his face.

"You may not believe it, but we do miss our happy Prompto." He came back out of the kitchen smiling softly at Prompto and holding a piece of cake he'd bake just for the blond as a way of helping to cheer him up. Prompto looked up at him about to say something before his eyes widened seeing the cake as Ignis headed towards him.

"Is…that for me?"

"Well it certainly isn't for me," Ignis said frowning a bit before he handed the small cake to him. Cute as it was, Noctis had even chipped in to buy a chocobo ornament he'd found at one of the shops to decorate the cake knowing that the sight would put a smile on Prompto's face. "Now let's work on turning that frown upside down, shall we?"

Prompto's eyes softened as he looked down at the cake before he gave a small nod giving a tiny smile in return. "Thanks, Iggy."

"It's no trouble at all," Ignis said smiling and reaching out resting a hand on his shoulder giving it a squeeze. "Now then, I best finish with lunch before the others come back." He turned heading back to the kitchen smiling when he heard a full mouth hum a response.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Wark!"

"Aww isn't he so cute!"

Ignis pushed his glasses up holding onto the leash as they walked with their small entourage. Noctis hadn't found a traditional leash. Instead it was a small harness that wrapped comfortably around Gladio's torso decorated to look like a little bumblebee. He even had a little hat on his head that looked like antennae that Ignis wasn't going to ask Noctis how he'd convinced the black chocobo to wear it. Apparently Noctis had some convincing words because Gladio was strutting around confidently, warking at every woman he walked by. And strangely enough, this seemed far easier for drawing women to him than any other option had been.

"Kweh!"

"Oh, isn't he just the most adorable thing!"

So…Ignis hated to admit that this was kind of an annoyance. To have to deal with the number of women running up and begging Ignis to let them pet the small chocobo, to have to see how cocky Gladio got when he was getting so much attention. It was annoying, maybe even frustrating. But it was what they wanted to do, right? If one of these women turned out to be the one for Gladio then….

"You ok there, specs?"

Ignis looked over at Noctis fixing the look on his face sure he must have looked like he was scowling. This wasn't a big deal. The sooner they found the girl of Gladio's dream, the sooner they returned their little friend to normal, the less Ignis would have to worry about. He had nothing against Gladio honestly. He had nothing against the women either. But seeing Gladio being fawned over like this was just…nauseating.

"Everything's fine, Noct," Ignis said in respond watching another woman cooing and heading their way. Because it was Galdin Quay, because it had a beach, every one of the women that came to them were scantily clad in bathing suits, some were still dripping wet. They weren't even on the soft sands, standing instead on the pier and still the women found them. Ignis could admit that the women did look good…though none held any interest for him.

He had more important things to do than following the follies of a romantic relationship. It would do nothing more than distract from work, from his task of taking care of the prince and protecting him and -right now- in protecting Gladio as well.

"Kweh."

"…What is it, Gladio?" Ignis asked looking down at the chocobo staring up at him.

"Kweh."

"…I don't know what that means."

"I thought you understood everything he said," Noctis said staring at him in surprise.

"I don't know what gave you that assumption." He'd only been taking guesses at what Gladio was saying based on body language. Right now though, it was pretty hard to read what Gladio was wanting.

"I think he wants you to pick him up," Prompto said kneeling down and petting the top of Gladio's head only to have his finger snapped at.

"…I'll do no such thing," Ignis said narrowing his eyes staring down at the chocobo. "Wasn't it you who kept demanding to walk on your own two legs? If that's the case, then you'll just have to walk." Noctis gave him a look.

"We've been walking for hours now though. I know regular Gladio wouldn't be fazed by that at all, but this isn't the normal Gladio. Even if he is Gladio, he is still in the body of an infant."

"Wark!"

"Then you're free to carry him all you want," Ignis said handing Noctis the leash. "I for one refuse to carry such a spoiled bird."

"Kweh!"

"Ignis!" Ignis looked over at Prompto's call of his name seeing the worried look on the blonde's face before he sighed forcing himself to relax not sure why he was getting so perturbed now. He could only imagine that sight they might have seen looking at him. Why was all of this irritating him so much? Was he only getting more frustrated looking at Gladio in that ridiculous outfit?

"My apologies," Ignis said bowing his head slightly looking away from them. "I'll grab some ingredients for dinner and head back first. I just need a moment of rest. It has been a long, tiring day." He walked off before the others could speak, jaw clenching as he forced himself to calm down. Perhaps a moment away from the others would give his mind a moment to recoup. Maybe if he was lucky, the others would find Gladio's special someone while he was resting and he'd turn back to normal before he met with the others again. Maybe that would fix his agitation.

TBC….


	4. Chapter 4

"Ignis, we have a problem."

Those were the only words he needed to hear before he was out of the bed grabbing his jacket and heading for the door, the phone held up to his ear.

"What's wrong, Noct?"

"Gladio ran off somewhere."

"…He did what?" He stopped in his track, his eyes going wide as he looked around as if hoping to catch sight of the little chocobo.

"It looked like he was trying to head back to the room but…I think he got lost in the crowd."

Ignis started moving his feet again barely giving a nod to the Galdin Quay greeter as he walked fast. "Where are you now?"

"By the shop," Noctis said. "Prompto's searching out on the beach for him. I was hoping he'd made it to you but I guess not."

Ignis frowned starting down the pier looking off the sides as he walked worried now of the little black chocobo having fallen into the water. "We need to find him ASAP. We can't afford to have him wandering around when a saberclaw attack happens." He wanted to ask how Gladio had managed to get away with the leash on him, hanging up the phone when he saw Noctis standing up ahead looking around nervously.

"The only thing I can think of is that someone picked him up. I tried asking around but no one recalls seeing him…so they say."

"How did he manage to get away from you?" Ignis said stopping on front of him frowning.

"…I was letting him take care of some things in the bushes," Noctis said trying not to blush. "I didn't expect him to slip out of the harness and take off."

"….I'll kill him when I find him." Ignis shook his head feeling the oncoming of a headache as he folded his arms over his chest. "He can't have gone far. Let's spread out further and see if we can find him."

"Ah…r….right." Noctis didn't need any encouragement as he took off heading for the other side of the beach. Ignis gave a sigh as he headed towards the entrance to Galdin Quay really hoping Gladio hadn't ventured out into the open fields alone. While he was angry with the older man, he was also extremely worried feeling that sense of anxiety he'd felt when he saw the saberclaws entering their hotel room. They'd been lucky last time, but this time there wasn't going to be anything that could stop him from being attacked. He needed to find him before that happened.

"Kweh…"

The sound drew his attention as he stopped dead in his tracks looking around. That had been a chocobo. But had that been Gladio or just a stray chocobo in the area. He waited quietly for another chance that the bird would chirp again.

"Kweh…"

Ignis snuck closer to the nearby bush looking down at the black chocobo laid out on the ground fast asleep and still wearing the bumble bee hat on his head. He felt like he should be angry for the shield to run off the way he did, but instead he found himself kneeling down quietly and staring at the sleeping bird smiling softly at him. He wondered now why Gladio had run off in the first place as he reached down touching his cheek. It seemed that even the tough guy Gladio couldn't fight the dreaded nap time when he was stuck in the body of a baby chick.

Ignis had barely picked up the sleeping Gladiobo before he heard a growl behind him that made his whole body tense up as he stood up slowly. Glancing back behind him and tugging Gladio closer to his chest, Ignis saw over a dozen saberclaws gathered behind them growling, drool dripping down from their bared muzzles. They'd worked their way around them quietly surrounding them in the open field.

Summoning one of his dagger to his hand, he used the other to hold Gladio protectively frowning more as he saw more of their numbers growing. This wasn't going to be easy…not while he was carrying Gladio around. Still, he was determined not to allow any of the beasts to get to his tiny friend.

"Kweh?"

Gladio was waking up squirming slightly in Ignis's arm as he pulled him closer. It seemed the noise was trigger enough because one of the saberclaws decided to take that moment to attack jumping at Ignis with maws open. Ignis swung the dagger at the beast cutting its cheek as it whimpered falling back. It seemed like a good idea at the time before the rest decided that attacking at the same time would have better results as they all rushed forward towards them. It seemed almost instinctive to curl up and hug Gladio to his chest protectively; slipping his eyes shut for the inevitable attack swearing he wouldn't let anything hurt Gladio if he could avoid it.

Teeth should have been ripping through his clothes and tearing him apart at this point. Instead, he felt like a weight had been freed from his hands as he heard whimpers and opened his eyes staring at a strong backside. The saberclaws slid to a stop, growling and baring their fangs as they glared at the naked figure in front of them.

Ignis's eyes widened staring at the familiar tattoo on a very reassuring back, the nude figure holding his giant broadsword at his side. Seeing the strong back gave a momentary flashback to a moment in his life where they had been in a similar situation of a young Ignis surrounded by a gang of bullies. It was the same broad back way back then that had come to his rescue, defending him with a large stick in his hand.

And just like at that time, a confident smirk looked back at him as Gladio said the same four words he'd said back then that had been the pinnacle of Ignis's attachments to him. "I got you, Iggy." It was one move, one that normally involved a lot of conserved energy as Gladio gripped his broadsword giving one swing of the blade in a slicing motion before him, the enemies freezing in place before they fell over dead, blown away by the powerful swing.

Ignis tensed up hearing the growl behind him and turned around seeing a saberclaw lunging at him before a large sword smacking into the side of the beast's confused face sending the creature flying with a howl. The leftover beasts must have gotten the clue as they whimpered running away with their tails between their legs.

"You ok, Iggy?" Ignis looked up still stunned to see the big shield of the future king standing in front of him before he reached up gripping the hand held out to him being pulled up.

"I'm…I'm fine," Ignis said taking his glasses off to clean them with his shirt grunting as it only seemed to smear them more. He was trying to think, trying to figure out just how Gladio turned back to normal. It wasn't like anything spectacular happened aside from the attack. He looked up at Gladio again finding the other staring down at him grinning, the bumble bee hat somehow having grown with him when he changed. "…What?"

"…You like me, don't you?"

"Huh?!" Ignis saw the grin getting bigger and couldn't help the feel of his cheeks heating up as he slipped his glasses on turning his eyes away. "Y-You must be out of your mind. If nothing else, I tolerate you." Iginis blinked feeling a hand being rested on his chest and looked down blushing more to see Gladio's big hand hovering over where his heart was. "W-What are you-"

"Your heart's beating really fast."

"That's because I almost got devoured by those saberclaws!"

"Or because of being so close to me you feel like you're going to melt." As if to make his point, Gladio stepped closer pressing up against Ignis. The advisor couldn't help the blush rushing up to his ears, especially since he could obviously tell without looking that Gladio was still very much naked. "Did those girls earlier make you jealous?"

"What would I have to be jealous of?" Ignis responded looking up at him to give him a hard look before he felt his eyes soften at the genuine smile Gladio was giving back to him.

"That's what I'd like to know." The way Gladio was looking at him, the close proximity to each other made it hard for Ignis to do anything but to stare back. He found his eyes traveling down to the lips that could sometimes be harsh but always in a caring way. They looked soft as if they'd been well taken care of, though it could be contributed to the fact that Gladio did drink plenty of water to keep himself hydrated. It was almost exciting to the prince's advisor to think that he could be privileged to know just how soft the lips could feel against his own as he continued staring up at Gladio.

"Hey, you guys alright?"

The reaction was instinctive as Ignis pushed Gladio back causing him to fall to the ground as he fixed his glasses, clearing his throat and hoping the flush of his skin wasn't noticeable as he looked up at Prompto.

"Everything is fine," Ignis said looking down at the naked Gladio before he flushed again pulling off his jacket and tossing it on top of Gladio. "Please try to have some decency."

"…Right," Prompto said frowning as he looked back and forth between the two of them. "I'm not going to ask what the hell is happening."

"Whoa, he changed back?" Noctis walked up joining the group of them looking at Gladio before bursting out in laughter. "Did he have to keep the hat?" Said hat didn't even seem offended as the small balls bounced around on top.

"Nothing wrong with a souvenir," Gladio stated finally standing as he tied the jacket around his waist effectively covering his crotch if nothing else. It made Ignis blush determined that as soon as he could he was going to give his jacket an extra rinse cycle. "Especially when jiggly balls are involved."

"Gladio!" Ignis yelled out flush red, the younger two of their group blushing a bit from the meaning of the words.

"Well, I can at least say that I'll miss having our little baby Gladiobo around to hug and squeeze and dress up in embarrassing outfits," Prompto said faking a pout.

"Well I don't," Noctis said before he sniffed crossing his arms over his chest. "He drew way too much attention."

Prompto blinked tilting his head to the side slightly. "From the saberclaws or the women?"

"Both."

"Agreed." Ignis pushed his glasses up.

"Is this bash Gladio day or something?" Gladio folded his arms over his meaty chest as he stared at the group of them. "I'd also like to know when someone can get around to bringing me some clothes."

"Oh! We should have some in the back of the car still. I'll go get it!" Prompto took off before anyone else had the chance to offer up the deed. It left the prince there with his advisor and shield. He could swear he could feel Noctis's eyes staring at him as if trying to read something off of him. Ignis wasn't one to make things easy as he stared back frowning at the younger man.

"It is impolite to stare," Ignis said shaking his head slightly. "Are did you forget about that little lesson?"

"Sorry…but still trying to figure out how Gladio ended up turning back to normal. For Prompto it seemed like it involved me confessing my feelings to him." Noctis's eyebrow lifted up slightly as he looked over at Gladio then back at Ignis again. "Is it possible that you two-"

"Whatever romanticized idea you have in your head, it is definitely not…where do you think you're taking me?"

"Sorry but could you give me a moment, Gladio?" Noctis asked. Ignis saw the big man nod his head in response, obviously more focused on Prompto who seemed to be tripping over himself with carrying the clothes back. It wasn't until they'd gotten far enough away that Noctis stepped back folding his arms over his chest as if he were lecturing the dagger welder.

"…Yes, Highness? Is there a reason for this private meeting?"

"…Do you like Gladio?"

Ignis was surprised he managed to keep a straight face when the question came out. "I…tolerate him, yes."

"Even though you always give him extra portions at dinner? And don't try to deny it cause I've noticed."

Ignis's mouth closed as he frowned before opening his mouth to speak again. "That's because he's bigger. He requires more food for energy."

"You're not as tough on him either."

"…That's because-"

"And now that I think about it, you're always glancing at him when you think no one's looking, especially when he's walking around shirtless."

"….Appreciation for an artistic eye. Not many have such an extravagant tattoo on them with so many little details."

Noctis sighed as he rested his hand on his hips. "Then if it's not that you like him, what else could have caused him to turn back?"

"…I'm still trying to figure that out," Ignis said rubbing his chin. "Perhaps the fact that I was in danger…and him being the type to be a protector may have triggered his body's need to protect me to turn back to normal."

"And you don't think it might have had to do with him wanting to protect you because he likes you?" To be honest, he couldn't give an answer to that. But some parts of him felt ecstatic to know that he'd been the reason for Gladio's return and not some random, sleazy woman that may or may not have had feelings for Gladio. But really, aside from that little show earlier, had Gladio ever really shown any indication to liking him in that way? Most times he was out and about with random women resulting in Prompto being disgusted as he liked to quote.

"Well…" Ignis started off at a loss on how to answer Noctis's question. "The important thing here is that Gladio has returned to normal and we can now refocus on our main journey." Noctis opened his mouth to say something in response before he was interrupted by the weight of Prompto jumping on him from behind hugging him as he laughed.

Ignis was about to lecture Prompto about the roughness before he looked seeing Gladio staring at him, thankfully fully dressed. He found his mouth gaped open watching how the oldest member's eyes seemed to feast on him as if undressing him with his eyes before Ignis cleared his throat blushing and turning away.

"Right. We should head back now so I can focus on making us some dinner. Today has been a long barely tolerable day, after all." He missed the look Noctis gave him as he walked away or even how Gladio's eyes were focused on his butt as the shield held onto his jacket.

He had a feeling that the next few days were going to be awkward in deed. He just hoped that this whole ordeal would be left behind and forgotten and that they wouldn't have to deal with this sort of problem again. After all, he'd dumped out all the water they had just to be on the safe side…not to mention he would be sticking strictly to coffee only for the time being.

END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end for this segment anyway. However, there is one more story chapter to follow to end the trilogy that this has become which is still currently in the works.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took me forever to push this chapter out DX in the process of moving so it's taking me some time to work on my fics. But hopefully this will entertain for a little while.


End file.
